Welcome

My name is Tony Camarena and this is my first message as the newly-elected president of the Cathedral High School Alumni Association. For those of you who do not know me, I graduated from Cathedral as part of the class of 1985, and have been part of the association since 2000.

This year I succeed the president position from Hector Roman ’76. I thank Hector for all his hard work as president these past 30 years. I have had the privilege of working alongside with Hector on many alumni projects and I cannot begin to express the love and gratitude that Hector has shown in the leadership role with the alumni association. He certainly set a high bar and I hope to continue his standards. Hector will continue to serve as past president on the Alumni Board of Directors, so he will be able to keep me from straying too far afield.

I would also like to thank Vice President Carlos Carbahal ‘72, Secretary Dan Lopez ‘68, and Treasurer Joe Mazadiego ‘66. These men have dedicated many years to the alumni and Cathedral High School and have blazed the path for present and future alumni. They have all contributed a tremendous amount of time and effort and most of it was behind the scenes that often went unrecognized. I want to take this moment to recognize your efforts, and to thank you for all your hard work and contributions.

On behalf of the alumni, I want to welcome Paul Dominguez ‘85 as our new Vice President, Paul Villarreal ‘94 Secretary, and Diego Ortiz ‘05 Treasurer. I look forward to working with this Executive Board in the years to come. We are all excited to be a part of this association and working collaboratively with you to reach our new goals.

People ask why I volunteer my time to CHS. The answer is simple, to help provide an education to present and future students as it was once provided for me. When I was a younger alumnus, I did not fully realize the impact Cathedral High School had on my life. It was through CHS that I came to understand one should take advantage of opportunities, always challenge oneself, and always learn. Doing this has helped me achieve personal and professional success, and motivates me to give back — to the alumni and to the students.

Today Cathedral’s enrollment is at 730, and the cost per student is $11,000 per year. 80% of the students receive almost 3 Million dollars in financial aid from the school annually. The alumni association raises money through fundraising and also gives to the school about $30,000 but our new goal is to raise $100,000

Each of us is a member of a greater Phantom community and the Alumni Association is in place to encourage us to be active and engaged members of that community. The Alumni Association has been restructured and, through its committees, is charged with developing services and fundraisers for alumni and friends , promoting annual giving, creating opportunities for networking and outreach; and engaging faculty, staff, and students in the alumni association.

The Alumni Association is not only your conduit for ties to Cathedral days past, but is now a thriving network of benefits — both social and tangible — for today and the years to come.

Assuming the role of Alumni Association President is truly an honor because I get to represent all of you. I look forward to working with our current association, and welcoming new alumni to get more involved . You are all welcome to attend our monthly meetings that take place the first Wednesday of every month at Cathedral in the MHR room at 7:00pm. To that end, if you have any topics you would like to discuss with me, please feel free to reach out.